Coalition Council Meeting Unnecessary, Leaders Held Consultations

Bratislava, August 15 (TASR) – The Coalition Council session that should have taken place on Tuesday evening will not take place; it is unnecessary as there were mutual consultations between coalition parties’ leaders, Prime Minister Robert Fico’s (Smer-SD) spokesperson Beatrice Szaboova confirmed for TASR on Tuesday.

Following consultations they held on Monday (August 14) and Tuesday, leaders of Smer-SD, Most-Hid and the Slovak National Party (SNS), Robert Fico, Bela Bugar and Andrej Danko (respectively) agreed on a regular course and approval of the agenda for the Government session that will take place on Wednesday (August 16), said Szaboova. They also agreed on a timetable for preparing an amendment to the coalition agreement with a special focus on further priorities for the Government Manifesto. “With regards to the upcoming regional elections, the leaders expressed interest in creating consultation mechanisms at lower political levels, too,” she added.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the governing parties voiced their concern over the fact that the media are publishing a growing number of untrue or half-true news stories in order to cause tension in society and undermine the Government’s stability.

The governing coalition is currently facing a crisis that was started by SNS leader Andrej Danko’s withdrawal from the coalition agreement on Monday (August 7).

Subsequently, Smer-SD, SNS and Most-Hid at the last Coalition Council meeting concurred that there is no alternative to the current government. Most-Hid leader Bela Bugar told the media that the partners are determined to continue. He said that the problem inside the coalition is not that serious.

After this accord, SNS’s requirements were revealed via the media. These include, for example, the thirteenth and fourteenth salaries, the introduction of a state-run airline, support for the spa sector, as well as a demand that ministers do not comment on the work of their colleagues.

Meanwhile, SNS is facing a scandal due to the distribution of EU funds under the remit of the Education Ministry. At the same time, suspicions appeared accusing Smer-SD of collaborating with OLaNO on SNS’s discrediting. Bugar called on the coalition partners to act in a responsible manner.

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The News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) is a public service, national and independent institution that provides information in the area of news coverage in accordance with the public interest. It was set up via Act No. 358/2008 on the News Agency of the Slovak Republic.